Gemotions

The old photographs, the ones her mother had squirreled away, felt like a treasure map and a land mine all at once. Olivia, these days, felt paper-thin, easily crumpled by the slightest pressure. She was constantly on edge, and even simple tasks felt overwhelming.

The first photo, a simple portrait, gave way to others. A candid shot of her parents, young and vibrant, laughing with a group of friends. Then, a picture of her mother, arm-in-arm with a man who was not her father. A wave of nausea washed over Olivia.

She felt a hollowness in her chest, a sense of having been misled. The carefully constructed facade of her family’s past began to crumble before her eyes. She wanted to scream.